pollen

Etymology

From Latin pollen (“fine flour”). Used by Linnaeus in the 18th century to describe the spores produced in the anthers of flowers.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɒlən/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑlən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒlən
• Hyphenation: pol‧len

Noun

pollen (usually uncountable, plural pollens)

1. A fine, granular substance produced in flowers.
2. (botany) Pollen grains (microspores) produced in the anthers of flowering plants. [from mid 18th century]
   • 2013 May–June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:

     In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.

3. (obsolete) Fine powder in general, fine flour. [16th-century per OED]
   • 1523–1525, John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners, Froissart's Chronicles‎, translation of original by Jean Froissart:

     and ther was good wyne of Gascoyne, […] as well of pollen, as of other vitailes

Verb

pollen (third-person singular simple present pollens, present participle pollening, simple past and past participle pollened)

1. (transitive, poetic) To cover with, or as if with, pollen.

Etymology

From Latin pollen.

Noun

pollen n (singular definite pollenet, plural indefinite pollen)

1. (botany) pollen

References

• “pollen” in Den Danske Ordbog

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔ.lə(n)/
• Hyphenation: pol‧len
• Rhymes: -ɔlən

Etymology 1

From Latin pollen.

Etymology 2

From English poll.

Etymology 3

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin pollen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔ.lɛn/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

pollen m (plural pollens)

1. pollen

Further reading

• “pollen”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Verb

pollen (weak, third-person singular present pollt, past tense pollte, past participle gepollt, auxiliary haben)

1. (computing) to poll, to periodically check the status of a device or variable.